Welcome to the Man Crew House! A place where you'll find laughter, home education, random silliness, fresh baked bread, Jesus...And BOYS. All boys, all the time. Every. Single. Day.
I live in the Testoster-ZONE. *grins*

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Well, I'm really late this week and for that I apologize, but life is hectic is my only excuse. Dan came back into town Thursday evening...right about the time I left for work, then spent the next 3 days working on his new pet project, a dune buggy he managed to finagle out of someone for real cheap. The boys spent MUCH time playing outside with their buddies in the 80 degree weather and I spent the weekend packing, working and cleaning house, when I wasn't in the garage wondering what on Earth Dan was doing to that buggy...LOL! Other than packing and working, not much went on last week, but it still was BUSY. Kelly will be here on Wednesday night and we are ANXIOUSLY awaiting her arrival...yeah! Dan is in Hurley again this week and says that he will probably be doing the 4 days in Hurley, 3 at home schedule for about 3 months...time to amend the schedule again...LOL~ James and Derek are well again after last week's soaring fevers, (James topped out at a bit over 105) and are well enough to be pests again. I found out that I'm going to be a great auntie again this week. In fact, I found I'm going to be a great auntie 2 times this year...yeah me! Tammi is about 12 weeks along and excited to be having another. Her younger sister Leesa is about 7.5 months along and has been hiding it well which is why we just found out yesterday...YIKES! Leesa is just barely 19 and not married, the guy is long gone and her parents are quite upset...so if you are of the praying variety...please do as she will need it MUCH in the near future. Well, we aer STILL waiting on final word on the house so while I'm packing, I'm crossing my fingers that we actually get it...I really don't want to start searching all over again...but I'm working really hard at leaving that up to God, but as with many things, easier said than done...LOL. Anywho, as this is REALLY random and wacko, I'll call it a day and try to be back on time Friday to update you about the rest of this week. Thanks to all who read and especially to all who are praying for us as we embark on this new adventure.Blessings, Kristy

FOR TODAY...MARCH 24, 2009Outside my window...it is warm, sunny and SPRING is in the air I am thinking...that trying to pack and move 8 people in 10 days while continuing to homeschool, host company, work 4 nights and hubby is out of town half of each week is insanity...LOLI am thankful for...a fresh new week, full of promise and hope, a new chance to get things right and a home that's a haven of rest in the storms of lifeFrom the learning rooms...the boys are working on the last few pages for this week already since Kelly is coming in tomorrow, Aleks math on the computer, Derek is finished with preschool for the day after working on squares, colors and the number 2, and reading is on the ballot for the rest of the week with the Aleks math.

From the kitchen...chicken fajitas tonight and for ONCE as I write this, the kitchen is CLEAN...woo hoo!

I am wearing...Jeans and a lilght blue t-shirt with eyelet around the collar.

I am creating...Order out of chaos, clean laundry with homemade detergent, and brainiac boysI am going...nowhere until tomorrow, and am glad for the chance to spend the evening hours tidying one last time, reading to the boys before bed and then a quiet night soaking my tired feet and then treating myself to painted piggies.I am reading...Many things...the New Testament in 90 days, the LOVE DARE! And once again, A Woman After God's Own Heart...I am sooo hardheaded

I am hoping...that I manage to pack us up and move us to a new home without losing anything important, like my mind or my temper...LOL

I am hearing...The dryer churning out yet another load of laundry for me to fold, Titus' clothy diapers rustling as he crawls around the room, James murmuring to himself as he works on a math paper, Bubba barking at the neighbors that just came home and my own thoughts, tumbling like the dryer

Around the house...T is playing, D is resting, big boys are schooling, I am Blogging, Dan and Jodi are working, and for about the next 3 seconds all is calm....but I'm not counting on that lasting for very long...LOLOne of my favorite things...watching my kiddos have a 'light bulb' moment as they actually GET IT for the first time

A few plans for the rest of the week...hanging out with Kelly (YEAH!!) having game night, working a few more nights, packing like MAD and keeping the house decent...that part is just a dream

Here is picture thought I am sharing...I took this the same day we found the house...SOOO pretty. Isn't God's creation just awe-inspiring??

This post is in response to the call to simplicity by Miss Peggy and other daybook writers. If you want to find out more about that...visit her on her page at http://www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ or simply click on the photo at the top of the page. Thanks for taking time to read this.~Kristy~

Friday, March 20, 2009

I found this posted somewhere in the Internet and thought it was interesting... I asked these questions to Pat~10.What is something I always say to you? ~NO jumping on the bean bag chair, no running, be QUIET2. What makes me happy? ~House clean, boys dressed and showered for church and always do everything with no complaints3. What makes me sad? ~Me and everyone not listening, acting bad and yelling at you4. How do I make you laugh? ~that's a tough one....(long pause)...doing the funny faces you make5. What do you think I was like as a child? ~ummm, a nice, clean girl (ROFL...shows what he knows...LOL)6. How old am I? ~357. How tall am I? ~4 feet??8. What is my favorite thing to do? ~Go on vacation9. What do I do when you're not around? ~Go on a date with Daddy10. If I become famous, what will it be for? ~Your cooking (yeah me)11. What am I really good at? ~Cooking and being our mommy12. What am I not really good at? ~building stuff13. What is my job? ~Working at Kohls14. What is my favorite food? ~(long silence)...Chicken cordon Bleu??15. What makes you proud of me? ~doing your job?? (He seemed baffled by this question)16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be? ~Bugs Bunny17. What do you and I do together? ~We go shopping together, and make cookies together18. How are we the same? ~we are both Funny19. How are you and I different? ~You like to clean more...(LOL, apparently, I need to get a life!!).20. How do you know that I love you? When you smile at me21. Where is my favorite place to go? ~shopping...NO to a restaurant (that's more like it)22. What is my favorite thing about Dad? ~That's he's a Neanderthal...(Oh my gravy...I'm dying of laughter over here...where did THAT come from??)

I found this posted somewhere in the internet and thought it was interesting...check it out! Feel fre to copy it and add your own child's answers...they may surprise you, I know his did! A great way to illuminate a few shady areas in my parenting...OUCH! LOLAsk your child the following questions and write down their answers exactly how they answer. It's fun to see what they come up with! I asked these questions to David~11

1. What is something I always say to you?~CLEAN, STOP, Don't be a whiner2. What makes me happy?~Daddy...and 'Shua coming down3. What makes me sad?~When daddy goes away4. How do I make you laugh?~When you act like me5. What do you think I was like as a child? ~Like you are now6. How old am I? ~35, right??7. How tall am I?~Just a little bit less than me (sad but true)8. What is my favorite thing to do? ~Hmmmmmmmmmm...play on the computer and talk to your friends9. What do I do when you're not around?~Watch Titus and Derek10. If I become famous, what will it be for?~You and Daddy (not sure what THAT means)11. What am I really good at?~Motherhood12. What am I not really good at?~Hmmmmmmmmmm, um, ummmmmmmm....You're wonderful at everything and you're especially good at being the tooth fairy...LOL (awwwww)13. What is my job? ~Motherhood and Kohls14. What is my favorite food?~I don't know...salad??15. What makes you proud of me?~Everything16. If I were a cartoon character, who would I be? ~Kim Possible (COOL, she ROCKS!!)17. What do you and I do together? ~Watch the kids, cook, bake cookies...I don't know??18. How are we the same? ~We have a lot of freckles19. How are you and I different?~Ummmmmmm, OK, stop writing that, HEEEEYYYYYY! That's mean! I don't know.20. How do you know that I love you?~(He was wandering off towards the TV as I asked this one...LOL never got a straight answer)21. Where is my favorite place to go?~Out to eat22. What is my favorite thing about Dad? ~He fixes alot of stuff and that (pointing to my top 10 reasons I love you list hanging on the side of the computer...the list is as follows...1. You love me so much2.You are a Christian3. You are such a great Dad4. You are HANDY...so smart and resourceful5. You are FUNNY!!6. Kids animals and old ladies love you, and they all have great taste7. So compassionate (he's the one that cries at the end of Extreme Makeover, Home Edition, not me)8. You make me feel safe9. You work hard everyday, just for us10. You are super-hunky and have a perfectly round butt! (sorry if that's TMI...LOL)

Saturday, March 14, 2009

This is a picture post about OUR NEW HOUSE!!! The Lord provided it and it's GLORIOUS! Enough chatter, let's see those pics!!

THE KITCHEN....complete with 2 stove tops, a built in microwave, more cabinets that even I know what to do with and a breakfast nook...see 2nd picture below as well!

This is the view into the 'multi-purpose room' and into the living room beyond...as seen from the kitchen. The "MPR" will be used to house the school room, a safe place for T to play and the girl room all in one. And for game nights as well.

This is the master bedroom on the 2nd floor. With a private balcony that has a view of our beloved Organ mountains...SWEET!

Look!! A pantry!! I am so excited about this it's really pitiful!! Hurray! Oh, and an actual laundry room as well...yeah!

Thanks for taking the tour with us!! Oh, we will be moving in the weekend of April 3rd...anyone wanna come help?? Also want to add that we are sooo grateful that we waited until God showed us the right one! I was trying SOOOO hard to turn it over to Him and not fret as the hour drew nearer and nearer...and I waited just long enough. The landlord already thinks I'm a whack job...he said that the house has been on the market for several months and that bunches of people have been interested, but it just kept falling through, to which I replied..."God was holding it just for us." He just looked at me and said, "Well, maybe that was it.." and gave me this strange look. Maybe he was having second thoughts...LOL! Too late! Love you all!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Just a short post for today....last week is a haze of late nights, laughing with Alec and the sorrow of sending him home. Game night was fun for his last night here and then over the weekend, we just hung out, ran errands and organized a bit. The house is looking good under Dan's firm directorship and my new schedule that plans for much more cleaning than I would like to admit the house needs...LOL! Working out is once again a priority...gotta STOP losing and regaining the same 2 pounds. ; ) Kids are all happy and healthy, we are house hunting yet again and this are starting to look up in that arena so keep us in your prayers as we look for the house that is the perfect blend of roominess, distant from town, but not so much that it's inconvenient, allows pets, has enough bathrooms and bedrooms to go around, and the ultimate option...affordability! I know, it's gonna take a small miracle to make us all happy...but that's what we are praying for. Hope all is well with you all and we'll catch up again next week. Have a wonderful week, I'm out to check on the pork roast...mmmmm! Blessings, Kristy

Outside my window...it is a cool, dreary day full of dark clouds and a chilly breeze

I am thinking...that the writers of Managers of Their Homes are geniuses...LOL

I am thankful for...a fresh new week, full of promise and hope, a new chance to get things right and a warm home that's a haven of rest in the storms of life

From the learning rooms...boys are working on their "Love Your Neighbor' packets, a few random worksheets to start the brain working again, and our new ABeka for next year has arrived...HURRAY!

From the kitchen...The smell of fresh baked bread (is there anything better?) and for dinner, pork roast with veggies and the aforementioned bread.

I am wearing...Jean capris and my red curves t-shirt which helped me get in the mood to work out this morning

I am creating...Order out of chaos, clean laundry with homemade detergent, and brainiac boys

I am going...nowhere until tomorrow, and am glad for the chance to spend the evening hours playing games with the family, reading to the boys before bed and then a quiet night with Dan.

I am reading...Many things...the New Testament in 90 days, Upstairs Girls (a book about prostitution in the Old West) Speaking Mom-eese by Lisa Welchel, and Educational Travel on a Shoestring...and when I'm done with one of those, I'm starting the LOVE DARE! My, that's alot, even for me!

I am hoping...that my new schedule will help me be more productive and better rested...both of which are needed at this point...hee hee

I am hearing...Shadow barking at the wind, the dryer finishing the 4th load of laundry for the day, James' pencil sctratching across the paper and Dave and Pat working together on the word search puzzle I gave them.

Around the house...T is sleeping, D is resting, big boys are schooling, I am Blogging, Dan and Jodi are working, and for about the next 3 seconds all is calm.

One of my favorite things...making Dan laugh..not just the two little chuckles that he does, but a full belly laugh. Since it's rare, it's prized!

A few plans for the rest of the week...grocery shopping, game night, pizza movie night, 3 evenings at work, Jodi has hand bells on Wednesday and Dan has training classes on Friday night and all day Saturday. Good thing I don't have a social life...LOL!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...Derek is getting so big...**SIGH** he sat at the table with me and did his very first paper for preschool today. We worked on the letter D since that's what his name starts with. He sat down and wrote a letter D just like he's been doing it for months! So here he is working away at preschool.

This post is in response to the call to simplicity by Miss Peggy and other daybook writers. If you want to find out more about that...visit her on her page at www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com or simply click on the photo at the top of the page. Thanks for taking time to read this.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

MOTH has arrived to out home and we are sooo excited! For those of you who are unfamiliar with MOTH, it's an acronym for the book called "Managers of Their Homes" and it has been a welcome respite to me personally and an exciting start of a new project. It is a book for and by Christian Homeschooling families to help you build a schedule to make sure that your home, family life, school and personal walk with the Lord run smoothly...a time for everything and all of that. With all these rambunctious boys, animals and whatnot running around here, I felt it was time to make a change. I spend all day dealing with the "urgent' instead of what is 'important'...the idea behind the book being that if you can find a way to smoothly and diligently care for the care of the home, keeping school on track and timely meals, etc...you will time to care for the urgent without it consuming your whole day (and bit more order should keep the 'urgent' to a minimum, anyway) and you will have time for the important things...like training your children to love the Lord, respect for parents, getting along and a healthy work ethic, etc. So often these things get lost in the hubbub of daily life...and at the end of the day, week, month...lifetime, you find yourself thinking that you had INTENDED to teach those things..but never got around to it. Anywho, enough babble about that...the point being that I needed to find a way to be more productive with the time I have available to me...and not only to be able to adequately care for the kiddos, but to take a few minutes here and there for me...my quiet time, work out time, healthful meals, etc, have been slipping due to lack of organization on my part...that's embarrassing to admit! ANYWHO, all of that to say....after COUNTLESS hours of fussing, rearranging, cutting out squares and remembering exactly how much I hate sticky tac, my new schedule is DONE, DONE, DONE!! Charlie and Dan has quite a bit of fun at my expense over the weekend, rearranging squares and asking me repeatedly if I was done yet...I wasn't nearly as amused as they were, but that's another story in itself. So, I shall put all of my hard work for you, my loyal friends and cohorts to see. I will be starting this schedule on Monday, but only to about lunchtime...then every few days, I will add an hour or so until we are running the full thing all the time. As for the rest of the day, we will resume the much looser adaptation of our routine...so a similar idea, but much more room for 'interpretation"...LOL! So without further ado..my MOTH schedule. ~B~, if you are reading this...all I have to say is I can't even imagine what you are thinking right now...LOL! ENJOY!!

Blessings,

Kristy

Here is the morning schedule, everyone getting up, dressed, rooms cleaned, chores, reading to the little ones, my workouts, Bible study time, lunch prep and the like. Coordinating every one's to be in the right place at the right time was tough...scheduling showers was even worse! LOL

After lunch and the following clean up, it's outside to burn off some energy to get ready for school...now each boy gets 1 on 1 time with me, and I still get to schedule myself 30 whole minutes of a rest...yeah! I was VERY excited about that part. ; )

Kristy and the Man Crew*In the essentials; UNITY, In the non-essentials; LIBERTY,and in ALL things; CHARITY*Powered by CafeMom Toolbar - Get yours today!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

It was BOUND to happen...this happens to all married couples after years of constantly being together. You start to turn into one another...LOL! It's finally happened to Dan and I. I discovered this with startling clarity just this week. ::Bit of background:: for those of you who don't know me very well, I tend towards being a bit passive aggressive...LOL! And Dan is totally impervious to my charms...so annoying!! ANYWHO~ I come home from work LATE on Tuesday after putting in 16 hours of home chores, child chasing, meal planning and making, etc...blah, blah blah...then after I worked until 12 30 in the morning, Alec and I had a "date" to do some serious chatting since the house isn't quiet enough to do much catching up. Anyway, I come home (at 3 am)and Dan, being the wonderful man that he is, had picked up my slack and put the clean sheets back on the bed...isn't he great?? But as I am desperately searching in the dark for my pillow, I realize that it's on the floor, away from the bed and has no pillowcase on it. I picked it up and put it on the bed, and ever so gently POKED Dan and asked him what was up. He replied in that sleepy~groggy "I can't believe you woke me up' voice that I was a bad girl for not making the bed (AGAIN) and so he didn't make my "side" of the bed to teach me a lesson....LOL! OH my Gravy, I about peed my pant...LOL! So to show him that I didn't care about his passive aggressive-ness, I slapped the pillow down and used it without a case (my mother is dying a thousand deaths right now...NO CASE!!) and went to sleep with a smile on my face and joy in my heart over this silly, dilly wonderful man of mine...he's a keeper! ::Gasping, I'm still laughing about it 2 days later:: Thanks for listening to me ramble..anyone have a funny story like that to share??Kristy

Monday, March 2, 2009

Just a few notes about this week. Of course, the highlight of highlights was our little min-vacay, but other highlights included Alec's arrival on Tuesday evening, and Dan's birthday on Wednesday. We had a party for Dan, of course and fun was had by all as it was also game night, Alec has enjoyed a cold since he got here (poor thing) and glory of glories, when we got home on Saturday night, Jodi had cleaned the whole house...YEAH! Just a pic or two and I'll catch up again next week...gotta run! Company to enjoy, hubby coming home soon, dinner to make and boys to wrangle...LOL! Have I ever mentioned that life isn't dull around here?? LOL!Alec is raking in the chips at dominos, and Dan is enjoying his cake...yeah!Dan laughing at his card with the name Hercules on it...LOL!

Hello and greetings from sunny New Mexico! Dan and I took the boys on a mini-vacation this weekend. Gone less than 36 hours but BOY did we shove it full of activities! We headed out about 8 am from home, hit up McDees for breakfast and headed on down the road to Willcox, AZ to meet up with EK and Linda. Once we got there, we all had lunch at the local KFC and then wandered down to the historic district where we toured the incredibly boring Rex Allen Museum...LOL! Then we spent a few happy hours browsing up and down the quaint main street with it's shops and boutiques. Pat got to have his picture taken where Warren Earp was shot..so exciting! Then we checked into our hotel while EK and Linda took care of a package they had in the car...we settled in and the boys went swimming while we awaited their return...then we played several rounds of domino's while enjoying each others company. After they headed out, we went to dinner in an old train car that had been turned into a BBQ restaurant. YUMMY!Then we all enjoyed our cozy beds for the night and slept in...err, at least Dan and I did...heehee! After enjoying a sumptuous FREE breakfast, we slowly checked out of the hotel and headed out again...in hope of finding the Ft Bowie site to explore. Well, 50 miles later, we gave up and turned around...LOL! We were going to head to City of Rocks State Park but found Silver City on the way and spent several hours there touring MORE boring museums and shopping in fun little shops up and down their main street. The boys were really getting anxious about City of Rocks so we loaded up again and picked up McDees on the way out of town and arrived at the Park with about an hour to climb before sunset...then we packed up one last time and headed home...tired, full, worn out and ready to see home once again. As the lights of LasCruces came into sight, Dan and I both sighed and said, "Look, boys, it's home!" As far as we travel and as long as we're gone..there's still no place quite like home!! *sigh!!* A few pictures to supplement our happy adventures and we're done! Thanks for reading!!

Thanks for following along with me as I've travelled down memory lane this past month, dug through some of my old history and recent life to be grateful for the people God has placed in my life. I've found old friends, rememberd some that I nearly forgot, found ways to be grateful for my failed attempts at relationships and even laughed at some of my own stupidity...LOL! Oy, that's what happens when ya start digging in the sands of time, right? Anywho, as I was gone over the weekend, I didn't have a chance to complete my own challenge...so I want to finish that now, if you don't mind. I'll start with my visit with EK and Linda and keep the last one for a surprise!

*EK and Linda~OH my, what FUN we had this weekend with them! How many friends do YOU have that rould drive 3 hours just to have lunch with you?? They drove from Tucson and we drove from Las Cruces....had lunch together, caught up with each other and played several rowdy sets of Dominoes...Good TIMES! We even found time to browse the downtown shops of Willcox, AZ, see the Rex Allen museum and get our picture taken where Warren Earp was shot...a busy day indeed! They filled us in on all of our friends from our home church in IL and we just laughed and carried on like old times! Ah, God is sooo good to suppply us with such great friends! So, we are extra thankful for them this weekend! Here are a few pics from that great trip!

OK and now for the lat one....drum roll please...............

***Dan, I know, he got top billing this month already a few times with being the first on the list and having a b-day, but he's my most favorite husband, best dad, great travelling companion and super Monkey, ever! We had SUCH a great time on our vacation this weekend...he is a trooper, doing all the driving, wrangling kids and still making time for lil' old me! He swerved around tumbleweeds to make the kids laugh, didn't get frustrated byt the long hours behind the wheel and even was kind enough to allow us to eat out after our return so the vacation feeling would last! Is he great or what?? He helped Derek climb the huge rocks at the City of Rocks state park, played dominoes with EK and Linda, fixed the DVD player so the kids could watch movies, reminded me a time or two that it was a vacation for the kids too, so they could have a bit more candy, took the day off so we could go at all, and then took the kids to the park on Sunday so I could enjoy a few minutes of quiet...seriously...he ROCKS! Anywho...all in all, he's a great guy and I'm sooo glad that he picked me! Well, I chased him until he caught me, but that's another story...LOL!

Thanks again for reading this from wherever you are....give yourselves a big hug or a high five from us out here in the wilds of NM....

Outside my window...the dogs are gallivanting under a clear blue sky and the warm breeze brings us 65 degree temps....*Sigh*

I am thinking...that home is the best place ever, even though I do enjoy travelling

I am thankful for...my own cooking, clean clothes and fresh bread...did I mention I was glad to be home again??

From the learning rooms...no school this week as we have visitors, but we are still listening to Grma read Masterpiece on tape, and have a DVD about the Amish lifestyle for this afternoon's school hours

From the kitchen...real food, thank you , JESUS!

I am wearing...workout clothes because God help me, I WILL workout today...too many days of not enough activity are driving me batty

I am creating...nothing since my brain feels like goo right now...not enough nutrients or water in the past few days...LOL

I am going...nowhere for the next few days...and I'm SOO glad about that!

I am reading...Curriculum booklets, Musclehead Revolutions, the New Testament in 90 days and Managers of Their Homes (trying to get that schedule implemented this week..cross your fingers ; ) )

I am hoping...to find myself thinner, healthier and more fun in the next few months

I am hearing...a movie playing since I'm allowing the kids to lay in front of the TV, the dryer going to finish up our vacation clothes and the Dishwasher whirring away at cleaning our few dishes from last night...isn't technology grand??

Around the house...not much cleaning since Jodi cleaned while we were gone, so just some picking up and managing not to make more messes...LOL! I've already balanced the checkbook, done bunches of laundry, dishes and picking up, chatted with my Mom, uploaded the vacay pics, and caught up on my e-mail and such...phew!

One of my favorite things...HOME!! Especially after a vacation.

A few plans for the rest of the week...as little as possible, I want to visit with Alec before he heads home! Also game night, one night of work, and all the regular stuff minus school.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... This is from our vacay this weekend. Sundown at the City of Rocks...Ain't God the BEST artist???

About Me

Me? I'm just me. And I'm learning to be OK with that. I love to chase babies, laugh a LOT (mostly at myself), sing loudly at random moments, brag about my boys and Dan, read everything I can get my hands on, and make homemade everything.
*conspiratorial whisper* I've got MAD pizza making skills. Just sayin'.